The Anatomy of a Best-Selling Book

A friend sent me this info graphic a week ago. It was prepared by an organisation called "Expert Editor" based in the UK and by all accounts is relatively current.

It lists its various sources at the bottom of the graphic. Certainly, I can't validate the accuracy of the results nor the core data it was derived from, however, some of the information appears intuitively correct, e.g., dominance of USA, Amazon in e-books, romance as the biggest selling genre.

I particularly appreciated the four comments under "Content" at the top. It's fair to say the one about the female protagonist applies to the Christian fiction market and I'd hazard a guess the one about men preferring to read novels with male protagonists would mostly apply in our market. In saying that I'm very content reading either.

During the first decade of this century I had seen stats that revealed the religious/Inspirational market was the second largest genre after romance. So it was interesting to me that our market has slipped to third. Not by much mind you. And no surprise that it was Crime/Mystery that replaced it.

Also, interesting that more people have claimed to have read a mystery/crime book in the last year ( "Books People Have Claimed to Have Read …") and I take it that romance readers (27%) are a dedicated lot and mostly only read in that genre. What do you think?

What of the above stats did you find interesting or what surprised you? I'd love your thoughts.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney, Australia. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Angelguard was the recipient of the 2014 Selah Award for Best Speculative Fiction. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

Farmer’s Market

I brake, you brake, we all brake…for Rainier Cherries!—a journalist friend both acclaimed and inspired.

If you’ve ever had Rainier Cherries picked fresh and presented right under the very tree from which they came, you’d know what I mean. Yum! That goes for any type of crop, really. I’m a nut for produce. Fruit, vegetables—it doesn’t matter. I’d sink my teeth into it all.

Raised in a seaside village, surrounded by a fertile valley where farmers worked the fields, going to the farmer’s market was like venturing into a candy shop as a child. Deep purples and ruby reds compelled, bright oranges and summery yellows winked, the occasional blues inspired, whilst deep shades of green promised health and verve.

I thought about that…how much pleasure visiting a farmer’s market can promise—for someone who loves that kind of thing, anyway. Now that I live in Tennessee, the roadside stands and markets vary a bit in what’s offered because the environment differs, but overall one can find similar delectable treats to take home and devour.

There’s another kind of market that I relish as much if not more than the farmer’s market, and that is the book market. Perusing through a bookstore is much like eyeing all of those crunchy/juicy morsels of nature. Which do I choose this time? I can’t possibly take home a literary sample of every selection! Oh, but I wish I could.

On the way out of a book haven, with my arms nearly full, a captivating cover catches my eye and I skid to a stop—much to the dismay of the individual following who about rams into me unintentionally—to look, study, sigh, and daydream. Yes, daydream of a day when I could have picked up one more—yes, just one more title—back when the economy hailed a better prognosis. Ah, but I appreciate what I do have and what I can do.

I love books, a regular collector. All types, all genres. I’ve had to slim back quite a bit, which has made me more selective, I guess. Like my latest visit to the farmer’s market that left me stumped. I couldn’t possibly take home everything available. A cash-only marketplace, I only had so many bills with which to make a purchase, so my variety had to count for the week in cooking for, and feeding, my family.

While pondering this quandary and comparing it to my bookworm antics, a recurring notion popped into mind. What if heaven’s mansions included a most spectacular library? And we had all of eternity to peruse and pick and enjoy an endless collection penned by all the storytelling saints of the centuries. What a lovely impression!—for someone who loves that kind of thing, anyway.

I’m a produce fanatic and book enthusiast—yes, I am. I’d insert the word “hopeless” in there, except, for heaven’s sake, I’m rather hopeful.

Tessa Stockton is the author of The Unforgivable (Risen Books, 4/1/11), her first novel. http://www.tessastockton.com/